From Maine to Ireland: Pieces of Gear Tell A 30-Year Story

More than 30 years ago, Irish lobstermen were worried about declining stocks. A group traveled to Maine to learn from the state’s lobster industry and attend the International Lobster Congress which was held in 1993 in Portland. This winter, a few small pieces of Maine fishing gear washed ashore in Ireland and brought that history back to life.

Thérèse Maddock of Kilmore Quay, County Wexford, Ireland, recently contacted the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) after finding a few old trap tags and two orange name tags during a local beach cleanup. The tags bore the names of two Maine lobstermen: Adam Gamage of South Bristol and Leah Ranquist of Swans Island.

Maddock also shared photos from the 1993 International Lobster Congress, including a Maine Lobstermen’s Association sweatshirt and mug from the event.

“Yesterday’s find of two orange tags with names on sent me down memory lane,” Maddock wrote. “Years ago, in 1993, a bunch of lobster fishermen from Ireland went on an epic trip to Maine where we stayed with lobster fishers there and went fishing for a week or so. We ended the trip by attending the Lobster Congress in Portland.”

The Irish lobstermen came to learn how Maine lobstermen managed their fishery, and one of the conservation practices they brought home was V-notching egg-bearing female lobsters.

Former MLA President David Cousens remembers the exchange well. “The Irish lobstermen stayed with us and we took them out fishing,” Cousens said after seeing Maddock’s photos. “I remember how amazed they were to see the number of lobsters we were throwing back overboard and showing them how we V-notch all egg-bearing lobsters. We told them if they adopted V-notching over the next few decades they would have a much better fishery.”

The practice took hold in Ireland. V-notch laws were introduced to protect egg-bearing lobsters, requiring them to be V-notched and returned to the sea and making it illegal to retain notched lobsters. What began as a conversation between fishermen on opposite sides of the Atlantic became part of Ireland’s lobster conservation story.

The finds were personal as well as historic. Adam Gamage, whose tag was found on the Irish shore, now serves on the MLA board. His father, the late Arnie Gamage, was a former MLA board member and an influential member of the exchange with the Irish fishermen.

“That is really unbelievable that she found Adam’s tag. Arnie was a huge proponent of V-notching and made a real impact on those guys,” said Cousens.

The tags traveled roughly 3,000 miles before landing in a small Irish fishing village where lobster fishing still takes place. To most beachgoers, they might have looked like ordinary plastic debris. To Maddock, they were a reminder of a shared fishing heritage.

To Maine lobstermen, they are a reminder that the lessons, friendships and stewardship passed from boat to boat can travel farther than anyone imagines.

The world can feel like a big and complicated place. But sometimes it only takes a couple of lobster tags washing ashore across the Atlantic to remind us how connected we truly are.